Ever since I spoke to Erik Hauser last year I’ve been looking for an opportunity to speak with him again. He’s optimistic, he’s infectiously enthusiastic, and he has a lot to say on a lot of different topics almost any hour of the day or night (as anyone who follows the Experiential Marketing Forum knows).

Long story short, I asked him if I could interview him for a podcast, and he amicably agreed. Rather than asking him to define “experiential marketing” for the umpteenth time, I thought instead it would be more illuminating to talk about emotionally connecting with brands, using experiential marketing techniques when searching for a job, and, of course, Gene Simmons. So that’s what we did.

I invite you to listen in on our conversation. You are welcome to download an mp3 of this interview by “right-clicking” (“control-clicking,” Mac-wise) on this link.

A few highlights of the interview can be found at the following time coordinates:

00:59 – Gene Simmons: The Genius 05:19 – You need a 3rd Party to serve as “Keeper of the Brand” 10:04 – You want to raise demand? Decrease the supply! (From Hydrox to Polaroid) 12:01 – The “outside perspective” 14:45 – The EMF: How moderating discussions increases their value 16:08 – Keys to nurturing a vital online community 20:05 – “Experiential” is a methodology, not a tactic

More noteworthy time coordinates:

21:27 – The Kings of Commodification get it: “Save Money, Live Better” 22:55 – “Every brand should be considered a friend” 24:00 – “We’re emotional creatures” (Guess what? Our decisions aren’t always rational) 27:58 – The conversational economy 30:33 – Camus and existential marketing: “We must undergo experience” 33:19 – One of the biggest misses in the history of Super Bowl advertising 37:13 – Experiential marketing in the job search 38:56 – “I look at every interview as an experiential marketing campaign” 41:07 – “What are you going to do, in every aspect of your life, to make yourself stand out?” 43:00 – Finding the Universal Truth that everyone can relate to 44:10 – “Do you understand how hard it is to do our job?” – Marketing, that is… 46:43 – Career opportunities today: The Flight to Quality